Catcher&#39;s mitt or glove.



UNITED STATES lPATENTioEEIoEY 1- FRANK L. 4SIIELDoN AND coRY WJDUDLEY, oF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNoRS To THE CURTAIN SUPPLY ooMPANYoE NEWARK, NEW

JERSEY, A coRroRATIoN or NEW JERSEY.-

-oATo'HEFrs MITT 0R GLOVE.

ball being driven between them and also to` provide a pocket to aid in holding the ball. Owing to the great force with which a baseball strikes the catchers mitt, it is important to connect the thumb portion of the mitt practically unyieldingly with the palm portion, for this not only provides a pocket to hold the ball, but it prevents the thumb from being bent backward or injured by connecting the parts, so that the strain is transmitted to the palm portion from the thumb portion.

Our invention is more particularly directed to a means for connecting these parts of the glove in such way as to be practically unyielding and the objects above stated thereby more perfectly accomplished, while at the same time the strength and durability of the mitt are increased. V

Our vimprovements are shown in the acv companying drawings, in which Vjoined along their margins by the strip of leather 5. When the thumb is straightened out and separated from the palm portion, the structure is practically fiat-sided and of irregular contour; but when the tip of the thumb is drawn into contact with the tip of the palm portion the mitt assumes-a practically circular form, and the pocket 6 is produced in the palm portion, one wall of the pocket being afforded'by the side of the thumb portion. To hold these parts in the described relation and to preserve the pocket formation, they VSpecification*of Letters Patent. Application filed July 29, 1904:. Serial ilo- 218,734.

.Patented sept. 26, i905.'

are preferably connected together perrna-L nently and securely, and this connection we prefer to make as follows: Straps 7 and 8 are secured to the leather strip 5 adjacent to the, tip of the thumb and the tip of the palm por- I tion. These straps7 and 8 arev preferably pieces of leather doubled on each other and pass through triangular-shaped metal rings 9 and 10, and these rings are connected by the intermediate strap l1, which is. doubled upon itself and has its ends securely fastened, as by the rivet l2.

' While the outline of the mitt is practically circulargas above stated, it will be understood that when the thumb portion and the palm portion are brought together the central portion of the body of the mitt is deflected out of `the tip of the palm portion and the tip of the thumb portion are deiected, so that they are no longer at right angles on their surfaces to v v the body of the mitt, and therefore the connecting means pull on the thumb and palm portions of the mitt ina line which is oblique to a plane parallel with the surfaces of said portions. Therefore we preferably employ these triangular-shaped metallic connections, so that the connectingpiece is not twisted, but the `strain thereon is exerted throughout its width, and when the ball'is received in the pocket strain is exerted upon the whole of the connecting-piece without any liability to the twisting or torsion thereof, and also in such a line` that the thumb and palm portions are prevented from iattening out or doubling back,

and thereby the pocket formation is preserved. We find this practically fixed connection much more reliable than an adjustable connection or onek wherein there is any possibility of the yielding of the parts, and of course the thumb and palm portions of the mitt may be so fashioned that they do not require any adjustment pocket than the mere joining of the edges of IOO the thumb and palm portions on their outer sides Would aord. Of course some ofthe advantages of our improved construction might be secured by employing metal connectingpieces of slightly-different form-as, for eX- ample, metal or other rings of circular formand we do not, therefore, exclude such devices from the broadest scope of our claims.

We claimn 1. In a catchers glove or mitt, the combination With the thumb and palm portions thereof, of straps secured to the outer edges of said parts near their tips, connecting-pieces secured to said straps with their adjacent sides oblique, and a joining member such as a strap, engaging said oblique sides whereby strains tending to separate said parts are exerted longitudinally of the connections, substantially as (lescribed.

2. In a eatehers glove or miti, the combination with the thumb and palm portions thereof, of straps connected to the outer nntrgins ol said portions, connectingpieces having inwardly-converging walls, and an intermediate connecting-strap joining such connecting- 

